The story appears on

Page A10

December 26, 2012

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

HomeWorld

Manila fires kill at least 7, leave thousands homeless

AT least seven people were killed and thousands left homeless as two fires struck the Philippine capital on Christmas Day, sparking riots as a slum went up in flames, Manila's fire marshal said yesterday.

Six bodies were recovered and two other people were missing as a blaze erupted at dawn in a row of old apartments in the Baler section of northern Manila, said Chief Superintendent Santiago Laguna.

Suspected arsonists meanwhile set off a second blaze at a sprawling shantytown, sparking rioting that left one man dead and two others arrested, he said.

"They (residents) started grabbing hoses from our firefighters, who could not do anything as they feared for their own safety," Laguna said.

A man was beaten up and later died from his injuries as the blaze consumed the shantytown in Manila's San Juan City, he added. Laguna said residents were apparently infuriated by the delayed arrival of firefighters and grabbed firehoses to aim at their blazing shanties. He said the residents were themselves to blame.

"Our fire trucks had difficulty entering the narrow streets that were blocked by parked cars and carts," Laguna said.

Some 2,000 families were left homeless, he said,



 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend